David Milch
David Milch (b. 1945) is the creator and executive producer of John From Cincinnati. Milch worked as a teacher and lecturer in English literature at Yale. During his teaching career at Yale, he assisted Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brooks in the writing of several college textbooks on literature. Milch's poetry and fiction have been published in The Atlantic Monthly and The Southern Review. In 1982, Milch wrote a script for Hill Street Blues, beginning his career in television. He worked five seasons on Hill Street Blues as executive story editor, and then as executive producer. Following Hill Street Blues, Milch and Blues creator Steven Bochco created another successful series, NYPD Blue, which ran from 1993 to 2000. Milch's 2001 CBS series, Big Apple, lasted only one season. In 2002, Milch created the HBO drama series Deadwood, and served as writer and executive producer. The series ended in 2006, following its third season, although Milch reportedly has plans for two feature length follow-up movies. In a June 2007 New York Times article, Milch discussed the meaning that he's found in making a show about surfing: "I’ve learned making this show that the essence of surfing is so compelling that it makes other parts of life pale by comparison. You end up chasing that first experience, a devil’s bargain that is all part of the wave." "Moondoggie Needs an Intervention", The New York Times, David Carr. June 3, 2007. Often called an "eccentric", Milch says that he's not interested in others' opinions: "When I write, there are only five or six people whose nods of approval I care about," he says. "But all of them are dead." "Hollywood Drops In", Jon Cohen, Outside Magazine. July 2007. Filming "John From Cincinnati" Milch is known for his unique approach to television drama. "To my mind, reality is a shifting and elusive condition," he says. "It redefines itself constantly. The actors find one of my most endearing qualities, my insistence after they have located and beautifully conveyed the state of mind or spirit of a character: I'll say, 'Can you try and suggest simultaneously the exact opposite?' And then I duck." "Kathy Griffin's 'Life on the D-List' begins new season", PopMatters, Luaine Lee. June 5, 2007. Asked to compare his experiences working with Milch on Deadwood and John From Cincinnati, Austin Nichols remarked, Milch's vision for the show is based on a grand, unique vision of life, and his place in it. "I am an instrument of purposes that I don't fully understand," he says. "Time will tell whether I am a wing nut or a megalomaniac. The difference between a cult and faith is time. I believe that we are a single organism, and that something is at stake in this particular moment." "A Producer Hangs 10 in a Risky HBO Pilot", The New York Times, David Carr. November 20, 2006. Personal life Milch has been open about the darkness in his own past: Connections A number of John From Cincinnati actors have appeared in other Milch-produced shows, including: *Caleb Bacon: Deadwood (production assistant and sound trainee) *Jim Beaver: Deadwood (Whitney Ellsworth), NYPD Blue (Jesus Christ) *Paul Ben-Victor: NYPD Blue (Steve Richards) *Dayton Callie: Deadwood (Charlie Utter), NYPD Blue (Gary Zancanelli/Larry Sinks) *Garret Dillahunt: Deadwood (Jack McCall, season one / Francis Wolcott, season two), NYPD Blue (Bryce Coopersmith) *Anthony DiMaria: Deadwood (Pinkerton) *Willie Garson: NYPD Blue (Henry Coffield) *Mark-Paul Gosselaar: NYPD Blue (John Clark) *Luis Guzmán: NYPD Blue (Hector Martinez) *Karl Makinen: NYPD Blue (Nathan Creek/Jimmy Clayton) *Paula Malcomson: Deadwood (Trixie), NYPD Blue (Carla Whitford) *Austin Nichols: Deadwood (Morgan Earp) *Ed O'Neill: Big Apple (Michael Mooney) *Monti Sharp: NYPD Blue (Rodney Wellstone) *Stephen Tobolowsky: Deadwood (Hugo Jarry) *Chandra West: NYPD Blue (Jennifer Devlin) *Matt Winston: NYPD Blue (Marshall Kopek) *Keone Young: Deadwood (Mr. Wu) *Peter Jason: Deadwood (Con Stapleton) Writing credits * (co-written with Kem Nunn) External links *HBO: JFC Cast & Crew: David Milch *IMDB: David Milch References Milch, David Milch, David